Near space targets can now be hit by Russian army’s mobile tactical air defense S-300 and S-400 systems as a much anticipated long-range missile enters service. It is designed to engage hard targets such as nuclear warheads, rather than satellites.

The news about a mobile version of an exo-atmospheric missile
system has been around since the 1990s, and throughout the 2000s
it was expected “in a little while.” But the result obtained is
worth the years of hard effort.

The new 40N6 missile guarantees a direct hit on a target at a
range of 400 kilometers and at heights of up to 185 kilometers –
effectively near space.

This missile’s specialization is not soft targets like low Earth
orbit (LEO) satellites with easily intercepted predetermined
orbits. The 40N6 missile is capable of exo-atmospheric
interception of IRBM (intermediate-range ballistic missile)
warheads in their terminal phase, leave alone any aircraft target
within the missile range perimeter.

As for securely intercepting warheads of the ICBMs
(intercontinental ballistic missile), this task is going to be
delegated to the upcoming S-500 Prometheus airspace defense
systems that are scheduled to enter service next year.

Reportedly, the final customizing of the 40N6 missile has been
going on since 2008, which is explained with extremely
challenging assigned task to guarantee the declared target kill
altitude at maximum range. The media reported that the 40N6
missile passed final state quality tests in January 2015.

A source in Russia’s Defense Ministry told Tass news agency that
the new missile is going to be supplied “primarily to the
Western Command,” the regions of Russia bordering NATO
member states.

According to the source, the new sophisticated weaponry is
“already into mass production.” It is not known at
exactly which facility, however.

The 40N6 missile is a genuine breakthrough for Russia’s national
airspace defense as it significantly alters the operational
capability of missile systems already in service.

Russia possesses approximately 2,000 systems of various
modifications of S-300 Favorite and first-rate S-400 Triumph.

One S-400 Triumph battery can attack simultaneously 36 airborne
targets with 72 missiles, with a target’s maximum speed of 4.8
kilometers per second.

The S-500 Prometheus is expected to have a range of no less than
600 kilometers and engage targets in low earth orbit flying at
speeds of up to 7 kilometers per second, generally the top speed
achievable by a ballistic missile at its highest trajectory in
space.

Deeply integrated with thousands of other air defense systems
scattered throughout the country, they ensure deeply echeloned
air defense of all vital military, industrial and administrative
installations.

All Russia’s S-300 systems have been upgraded to the latest
versions as production of this type of air defense system has
been suspended in favor of the manufacturing of the S-400. Now,
with the 40N6 missile available, S-300 complexes are getting
space defense quality. The 40N6 is also a common missile for
combat army and site protection air defense.

Until now Russia’s fourth generation top air defense missile
48N6E2 has had a range of 200 kilometers. With a 400 kilometer
range, the 40N6 missile has similar characteristics with the US
latest version of sea-based Standard Missile 3 (SM-3) Block
IA-IB, which began service in April 2014 after years of hit and
miss testing.

The Russian Navy for decades has been operating naval versions of
the S-300 system, namely the S-300 Fort F and Fort FM. In 2012,
RT reported on the naval version of the S-400 and possibly the
S-500 also being developed.

Unlike sea-based (or stationary) SM-3, S-300 and S-400 systems
are fully mobile and could be positioned virtually anywhere where
tank-based propelling system could take them. This includes their
deployment next to national borders, where with the help of 40N6
missile they can seize the initiative hundreds kilometers deep
into the air space of neighboring countries.